Tag: ultra running

One of the most important aspects of participating in endurance sports is nutrition. I’m not talking about how many servings of vegetables you had yesterday or whether you’ve been eating a rainbow of fruits although I guess that’s important too. I’m talking about consuming adequate nutrition on a 3 or 4 or 5 or 24 hour long adventure. It’s not enough to check all the boxes on your training schedule, you have to practice eating too. Wait. Practice eating? That’s something everyone could get into.

Some people have stomachs of steel and can consume packaged bars and energy gels all day long and feel great. Some people eat nothing but fruit a la Fruitarian and feel great. While these options might work for some people, the best way to find out what works for you is to experiment. Most ultra runners I know will consume at least some “real” food during a race (i.e. they don’t subsist only on gels and bars). And let’s face it, eating the things commonly found at ultra aid stations sounds way more appetizing anyway.

My current favorite things to eat on long training runs/races/adventures are:

Justin’s Almond Butter packets – I actually just discovered these and I can’t believe it’s taken so long. They’re 200 calories each and barely take up any space at all. They definitely need to be eaten with water though unless you want that whole nut butter stuck to the roof of your mouth thing

PB&J sandwiches – Outside Online just wrote an article about the amazing properties of the PBJ sammy and I couldn’t agree more. You just cant go wrong with these, except for of course if you’re at a 100k that requires you to make your own sandwiches and they have honey instead of jelly, and you get immediately swarmed by bees, but I digress.

Fruit/Chia bars by KIND – kind of like a grown up fruit roll-up except you know, made with actual fruit

Watermelon – There’s nothing better during a hot summer race than some delicious watermelon. Bonus: it hydrates you too

Popsicles – On the topic of summer races, last year I did a race where the race director stood in the middle of the woods with a cooler full of popsicles while playing ice cream truck music from her phone. Needless to say, it’s now my favorite race

Salted Almonds – Salted almonds are another one I recently discovered. I shared some of mine with a fellow racer at a recent 50 miler and he loved them too so it’s not just me. Lots of calories in just a few bites, and electrolytes too

Grilled Cheese Sandwiches – aka The Holy Grail of ultra food. Anytime I do a race where they have grilled cheese sandwiches, I know it’s going to be a great day. They taste even better if it’s dark and cold outside

Beer – Just kidding about this one. Kind of. While I personally can’t fathom drinking a beer during a run, I recently volunteered at a 100k where a woman rolled into the aid station at mile 37, ate a pizza and drank a can of PBR, then continued on her way. Lady, if you’re reading this, you’re my hero.

What are your favorite foods to eat while training/racing/adventuring? I’m always looking for new ideas! Leave your answer in the comments.